JCSS Announces Assistant Principals, District Positions

JEFFERSON — The Jackson County School System Board of Education approved the hires and internal movements of several positions at the school and district level during Monday night’s meeting. 

The Board approved the hires of assistant principal positions at East Jackson Comprehensive High School, Empower College and Career Center, Legacy Knoll Middle School, and Jackson County High School, while also approving personnel for district-level positions.

Adam Smith will serve at EJCHS, while Justin Mewborn will serve at Empower College and Career Center. Daniela McLean will serve as at Legacy Knoll Middle School, and Ryan Lesniak will serve at Jackson County High School. All will serve in the role of assistant principal.

Lisa Wilbanks will move from her position as the media specialist at South Jackson Elementary School to the role of Instructional Technology Specialist. Tracy Kofke, the media specialist at Gum Springs Elementary School, will also serve in the role of Instructional Technology Specialist. Both positions are members of the district office and assist schools with the implementation of technology into the classroom setting.

Amy Tinnell, a fifth-grade teacher at GSES, will serve as the system’s Science/STEAM Specialist.

Keith Chaney, who currently serves as an assistant principal at East Jackson Comprehensive High School, will serve as the Leadership Development Specialist. 

McLean is currently an ESOL teacher at Oconee County Middle School. Lesniak is the athletic director and 12th grade assistant principal at Peachtree Ridge High School in Gwinnett County. Mewborn is currently an Assistant Administrator at Vickery Creek Middle School in Forsyth County. Smith is currently an assistant principal at Mill Creek High School in Hoschton. 

McLean was named the 2020-21 Teacher of the Year for Oconee County Middle School and holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Early Childhood Education from the University of North Georgia. She also holds a Master of Education Degree in Instructional Technology from Kennesaw State University, along with an Tier 1 Educational Leadership Certificate from KSU. McLean holds endorsements in ESOL, Reading, Middle Grades Language Arts, Middle Grades Math and Middle Grades Science. 

Lesniak has served as the athletic director and assistant principal at Peachtree Ridge since 2016. He previously served as the assistant athletic director at Archer High School. Lesniak holds a Bachelor’s of Business Degree in Accounting, a Master’s of Business Administration from Georgia College. He received an Add-on in Educational Leadership from Georgia College in 2008. 

Mewborn holds a Bachelor of Arts in Middle Grades Education from Reinhardt University, a Masters of Arts in Teaching and Learning and an Educational Specialists Degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Nova Southeastern University. He also holds an Educational Leadership Certification from Kennesaw State University. 

Smith has served at MCHS since 2020. He was a social studies teacher and department chair at Dacula High School from 2012-2019, prior to his appointment at Mill Creek. He also spent a year as a teacher at Pebblebrook High School in Cobb County. Smith holds a Bachelor of Science in History Education and a Master of Education in Instructional Technology from Kennesaw State University. He has a Tier 1 Leadership Certification from the University of West Georgia. 

Chaney is a retired educator from Gwinnett County, serving as the principal of Mountain View High School from 2009-2022. Chaney joined EJCHS in January as an assistant principal. He will now be responsible for developing leadership inside the Jackson County School System.

Wilbanks has served at SJES for the past 10 years, being named the school’s Teacher of the Year in 2016. Wilbanks holds a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education and Music from Furman University, a Master of Education in Children’s Literature and Language Arts from the University of Georgia, and a Educational Specialists Degree in Library Media and Instructional Technology from the University of West Georgia.

Kofke has served at GSES for 10 years, the past four as a media specialist. Prior to the role of media specialist, Kofke served as the technology coach and a second grade teacher. Kofke has a Bachelor of Elementary Education from the University of Central Florida. 

Tinnell has been teaching for 23 years, 14 of those spent inside Jackson County. She spent the majority of those years inside JCSS at West Jackson Primary and West Jackson Elementary School. Tinnell has a Bachelor of Elementary Education from the University of North Carolina-Charlotte, and a Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction from Lesley University. 

Joshua Todd, a current assistant principal at Jackson County High School, was announced as the new principal of Gum Springs Elementary School on Friday, following his approval during Thursday night’s work session.